Duncan turned 6 on July 6, 2007. (He has the same birthday as president George W. Bush and rap singer 50 cent.) We had his birthday party on 7/7/07, Saturday. He had some of his friends from school and church come over, plus family and family friends. There was quite a crowd!
As a surprise for Duncan , we had Marty the Magician for a magic show! He wowed both the kids and adults with his awesome magic tricks and sense of humor. Duncan got to be a special helper for some of the tricks, and the magic words were always 'Happy Birthday Duncan!" The special guest star of the show was Ricki the Rabbit, a cute white bunny that was in one of the tricks and that all the kids got to pet after t
he show. After the magician, we did the Spiderman 3 pinata, and I learned that it
doesn't take as long to get a pinata to bust open if you use a metal T-ball bat. Four hits and that baby popped right open! Joe grilled up some hotdogs to eat, and the kids played around and we all hung out until cake time. Duncan picked out a Fantastic Four cake. (We went and saw the movie the day before for his b-day. )
After the party, he went swimming for a little while with his friend John. When he got home, he told me that he had a really fun birthday party. And he was tired, he wanted to go to bed.
I remember when I was pregnant with Duncan, they had an idea he was going to be a big baby, so I was scheduled to be induced. I chose July 5, since I had a hair appointment on the 3rd that I didn't want to miss. (I wanted to look good in the hospital!) So I worked the holiday, July 4, and went to Wal-Mart afterward to pick up last minute neccesities. Keep in mind my legs were swollen to the size of an elephants, and my feet were so swollen that I had been wearing Joe's shoes for weeks. When we went to the hospital the morning of July 5, little did I know that it would not be until 8:52 the following evening, that I would be holding my baby. We just hung out that whole day, reading magazines, watching TV, I especially remember they kept showing the Nathan's hot dog eating contest over and over, with that Japanese kid Kobayashi shoving tons of hotdogs down his throat! We have watched it every year since as a tribute to that day! Coworkers snuck me in hard candies, since I wasn't allowed to eat anything but ice chips. I was pretty disappointed it was going to take a whole other day to have a baby, but it wasn't up to me. Judy and David were waiting around on us to go get married, finally we told them just to go ahead and go or else it might not happen! As it turned out, I had Duncan on the 6th, the same day as Judy and David's wedding day (and future anniversary day) and also the same day as David's birthday!
One last note, I knew that Duncan was going to be a large baby. But I was not expecting 10 pounds 5 ounces, with no epidural at that! That is one experience I will never forget.
Aunt Sharon, Bish, and Kristy (the 3 in the middle)
Cardinals. Not the St. Louis Cardinals, not even the Springfield Cardinals....I'm talking about the Boys and Girls Club Kindergarten Cardinals. This was Duncan's second season with this team, and they had a much better year than last year! I'm not sure of their actual record, but I know that they won more games than they lost. And they came in 3rd place in their tournament last week. He had some really good hits this season, and played various positions including catcher, 1st and 3rd base, and outfield. He was the only lefty on the team, too.
Well, you lucked out girl. The picture that I wanted put on here, which would've been really funny, I couldn't it get to scan successfully. So instead, you get to look normal.
These are a few of my favorite Susan things:
Ralph Munson and the Knit-Wits, Bones McCracken, Officer Lawson, Pale Divine, going to see the Springfield Lasers and making Susan make the phone call for the tickets, sleeping in the taco bed the night before my wedding, nubbins, the story about her blowout at the airport, the story about when she made Thanksgiving dinner, lighting up the chiminea and listening to Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin, forcing her to listen to Steely Dan and Supertramp, the wine and cheese party she had long ago at her house and I got lost in the closet, mojitos and sangria at Anna Maria Island, Evil Susan, Dirty Jim James, tennis lessons with Ed, Redford, MO and my first sobriety test in Willow Springs, the Van Gogh exhibit in St. Louis, the redneck, Mr. Cat, Asian and red-headed men, the time she met us for Mardi Gras in St. Louis and Joe beat up the old man (just kidding...) at Venice Cafe, wine spritzers and Neil Diamond, Daughters of Snatch, taking naps, the baby shower she and Mel threw me, the bachelotette party we threw for Shierine, the Muffin Man, what she did for that painting that hung in her living room, the Antler, her and Mel dressed up as 1950's prom dates, sushi and Cosmopolitans, girl's nights at Arris with Shierine, did you know she loves Adam Sandler?, her obsession with the Kansas Jayhawks, Ray Liotta, the time Susan and Jill Wise tried to paper my house, felting, the day we saw Rushmore and it snowed. Oh yeah, I just remembered that one Sunday, maybe it was after Halloween, and we were all hungover, and we played board games all day at your house then went to that KFC buffet for dinner, and I wore my houseshoes there.
There's more, of course, because alot happens over the course of 15 years of friendship. I'm thankful for the friends I've made through such things as work and church, but there's nothing like those deep relationships between girlfriends who have been through so much together. When you share that history, it gives a real sense of authenticity to the friendship.
So here's to new chapters in our lives, new beginnings and more fun adventures ahead. And at the end of it all, I expect for you girls to be in the rocking chairs next to me, wearing support hose and drinking extra dirty filthy martinis. See you there.
salt water taffy, got soaking wet on the Water Boggan ride, and the more adventurous ones rode the roller coasters (Julie and Joe).
We are wishing them the best as they leave, and pray for their safety and well being as they spend the next two years in China.
The night crazies. Happens every night between bathtime and bedtime. You can just see it in their eyes, can't you?
Duncan turned 6 on July 6, 2007. (He has the same birthday as president George W. Bush and rap singer 50 cent.) We had his birthday party on 7/7/07, Saturday. He had some of his friends from school and church come over, plus family and family friends. There was quite a crowd! 
he show. After the magician, we did the Spiderman 3 pinata, and I learned that it 
doesn't take as long to get a pinata to bust open if you use a metal T-ball bat. Four hits and that baby popped right open! Joe grilled up some hotdogs to eat, and the kids played around and we all hung out until cake time. Duncan picked out a Fantastic Four cake. (We went and saw the movie the day before for his b-day. ) 
Steaks, lobster, P.F. Chang's, you name it we ate it! 
